


Vanilla

by imaginary_golux



Series: October Ficlet Challenge [17]
Category: Tarzan - All Media Types
Genre: Baking, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2019-01-15 13:35:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12322080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imaginary_golux/pseuds/imaginary_golux
Summary: Prompt 9: cooking togetherJane teaches Tarzan how to make a cake...and a few other things.Prompt and beta by my Best Beloved, Turn_of_the_Sonic_Screw.





	Vanilla

“The first thing we do,” Jane says patiently, “is get all the ingredients ready. These are called measuring cups.”

Tarzan examines the largest one, noting the _one cup_ inscription on its handle. “Surely any cup is a cup?” he asks dubiously.

“A cup can also be a measuring unit, and then it’s a specific amount,” Jane says, shrugging. “I don’t know why. But not every cup holds a cup’s worth.”

Tarzan gives her a dubious look. “So what do we do with this cup-which-really-is-a-cup?”

“We measure out a cup’s worth of this,” Jane says, putting the bag of brown sugar on the counter with a thump. “Spoon it into the cup, and then pack it down a little. Like this.” She demonstrates, Tarzan watching closely. “You try.”

He gets it right on the first try, naturally, and has the cup filled in a few moments. “Now what?”

“Now we stir that and the butter together - carefully! Don’t send it flying out of the bowl!” Jane demonstrates again, carefully, and Tarzan grins as he imitates her.

“Now the eggs,” she says, cracking them carefully, “and the vanilla - don’t drink it, it doesn’t taste good until after we bake it.” Tarzan sniffs dubiously at the spoonful of dark liquid.

“Why?”

“I...don’t know,” Jane admits. “It just doesn’t.”

“Alright,” Tarzan says, accepting this as another incomprehensible thing about humans. “Now what?”

“New bowl,” Jane says, and coaches Tarzan through measuring the flour and the spices and stirring them gently together. “And then we stir these together and set that aside -” she does so, and hauls the bag of apples up onto the counter, “and peel and slice these.”

“I can do _that_ ,” Tarzan says, picking up an apple and a knife, and a few seconds later he presents her with a perfect unbroken spiral of peel. Jane grins.

“Beautiful,” she tells him approvingly, and Tarzan grins back at her, pleased to have pleased her. “Do the rest of them?”

In very little time there is a heap of peels beside the cutting board and a large bowl full of apple pieces. Jane stirs the apples into the batter and lets Tarzan pour it into a pan, then slides it into the oven and grins. “Now the fun part.”

“That wasn’t the fun part?” Tarzan asks, frowning.

“Nope. Now we get to make the sauce,” Jane explains. “Get me another cup of brown sugar, just like the first one?”

Tarzan nods and fills the cup measure with exaggerated care while Jane gathers butter and cream and vanilla. Tarzan stirs the sauce gently as the butter and sugar melt together, watching in fascination as the liquid bubbles, and Jane only has to remind him not to touch it once.

“It smells _wonderful_ ,” Tarzan says as Jane stirs in the vanilla. “When can I taste it?”

Jane stirs the sauce slowly for a moment. It’s not _that_ hot, surely. The counter is cool, the sauce is already thickening…

She dips a finger into the sauce and holds it out. Tarzan’s eyes go wide, and he leans forward, slowly, to lick her finger clean, chasing the drops of sauce as they roll down towards her palm.

“This recipe always makes more sauce than the cake needs,” Jane says hoarsely, as Tarzan turns her hand gently in his and licks along the lines of her palm. “After we eat we could...ah...find a use for the rest of it.”

Tarzan grins. “You always have the very best ideas.”

**Author's Note:**

> So Best Beloved and I are doing an October ficlet challenge. We each generated a list of pairings we'd be willing to write and a list of prompts we wanted the other person to write, and then traded prompts lists without knowing what the other person's pairing lists were. We'll be doing a ficlet each every day in October. Should be fun!
> 
> I am, as ever, imaginarygolux on tumblr.
> 
> Also, this is the cake they are making: http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/chunky-apple-spice-cake-with-vanilla-butter-sauce-15682


End file.
